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Pool school: Mother-daughter team have taught kids to swim for decades

By , Daily Memphian Updated: April 27, 2025 4:00 AM CT | Published: April 27, 2025 4:00 AM CT

When she began offering swimming lessons nearly 40 years ago, Holly Self had no idea she was starting a family legacy.

Self began teaching in 1988 with her younger sister, who had started lessons in their parents’ backyard pool to make extra money for college. 

“She started doing it, and she told me about it. And I was like, ‘I want to do it with you,’” Self said. “We had a ball doing it together.”

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Sophia Surrett

Sophia Surrett

Sophia Surrett is a recent University of Alabama graduate, where she received her B.A. in news media and M.A. in journalism and media studies. She covers commercial real estate, economic development, residential real estate, restaurant real estate, and hospitality and tourism.


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